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I said. I shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. I sensed him eyeing my arms. I hoped they looked strong.
    â€œYou can do a roundoff–back handspring–back layout? A front handspring–front tuck?” He spoke as if he were barking commands in the army.
    I nodded, suddenly unable to speak. Andre was the complete opposite of Daria.
    Daria had owned the gym I’d gone to since Eden and I had started there together in first grade. Everything about Daria was soft. Her face. Her body. Her long, red wavy hair. The chiffon skirts she wore. Even her voice.
    He’s the real thing, I told myself and stood straighter.
    â€œOkay, we try. First you must change,” Andre said.
    â€œChange?” I asked.
    â€œYou wear this to practice.” He handed me a plain red leotard. Only then did I notice that every girl in the gym wore the same one.
    â€œWait.” Mom touched my hand that held the leotard. “Why must all the girls look the same? At Molly’s old gym, the girls were encouraged to express their identities.”
    Daria believed that gymnastics was more than tricks and flips. She wanted us to express who we were with our music, our steps, and what we wore.
    â€œHere the girls wear a uniform. We train my way. Conditioning. Stretching. Strength exercises. All together. The same for everyone.” Andre focused his steely gaze at my mother. “We make champions here.”
    Mom turned to me. “Molly, what do you think?”
    She sounded unsure. She had liked Daria and her artistic way.
    I didn’t mind wearing the same leotard if I could be a champion. “I like red. I’m ready.”
    â€œSofia!” Andre bellowed.
    A tiny girl with muscles rippling along her tan thighs hurried across the mats. Her light brown hair was slicked into a tight ponytail. “Hi, Andre!” she greeted him.
    â€œThis is Moll-le. Take her to the locker room and then bring her to Nastia’s group.” He turned to my mom and gestured to a glassed-in space. “So we go over some papers now?”
    I followed Sofia along the edge of the gym and through a door against the far wall. The locker room had rows of benches, small metal cubbies, and a bathroom. Quickly I stripped off one leotard and put on the other. Sofia told me she was my age, but she went to a private school. She pointed out different girls as we returned to the floor. “Kelsey Wyant is the best here,” she said.
    My eyes widened as I watched Kelsey land a double salto with a full twist.
    â€œShe’s in the top tier. Elite training. You think you’ll qualify?” Sofia asked.
    Would I? A few minutes ago, I would’ve said yes. I’d told Roseann the truth when I said I was the best in Daria’sgym. Compared with Eden and the other girls there, I was really good. But Kelsey Wyant was a different story.
    â€œI’m not as good as her,” I replied. “I’m hoping to get better.”
    Sofia watched Kelsey with dreamy admiration. “She’ll compete in college. Maybe even the Olympics. That’s my plan too. I might get homeschooled next year. Andre says I have potential. That’s megapraise from him.”
    â€œHas Andre ever sent anyone to the Olympics?”
    â€œOf course. Izzy McCabe and Hannah Rice both trained here.”
    Wow. I had seen both Izzy and Hannah compete on TV.
    All summer Mom kept telling me that every cloud has a silver lining. Suddenly I wondered if Top Flight wasn’t the silver lining of our move. I’d get really good here. Supergood.
    Sofia led me to Nastia, the short woman with a blond ponytail. Her powerful shoulders and thighs told me that she’d once been an elite gymnast.
    â€œWe stretch,” she said instead of hello.
    Joining Sofia and six other girls on the mats in a straddle, I was glad I’d stretched at home. Nastia moved muchfaster than Daria. Daria had played classical music and allowed us to talk while we